The King Krãken (pronounced krã'-kin), named for the sinister creature of ancient sea lore, is a one-of-a-kind sport flier featuring Pemberton's unique, sculpted tube-fin design. The canted leading edge tube fins have been reported to be 30% more stable than square cut tube fins. She is as much a fantastic flying machine as she is a work of art!

At the top of the page, I said the Krãken is sexy. That's not just marketing-speak. You wouldn't believe how many people pick up our display model and run their hands over the smooth surface, a sly, guilty smile on their lips. It's surprising, and magic. The Pem-Tech King Krãken (pronounced krã'-kin), named for the dark, sinister creature of ancient sea lore, is a one-of-a-kind sport flier featuring Pemberton's unique, sculpted tube-fin design. She is as much a fantastic flying machine as she is a work of art, created by you. Unlike traditional, and boring, tube fins the King Krãken sports a canted leading edge tube fin with a short full tube that has been reported to be 30% more stable than square cut tube fins.

Get ready to spend a few days on this kit. The builder cuts those cool fins using a hobby knife with a brand new, sharp blade. It's not hard, but it takes patience. We know a lot of you will want to get right to the flying part, and that's great; if you assemble it, do some sanding and filling, and then paint it, the kit will look spectacular and fly straight. Your King Krãken will impress every other flyer on the field. Pemberton recommends building this way in the "destructions".

For our display rocket (see photo at right) I did all the sanding, filling and final paint before assembly, then added the tube fins. This results in a gorgeous rocket, but if you elect to do the same, think of this as a Skill Level 4 kit instead of 3. When you sand and fill the tube fins inside and out, the resulting showpiece leaves fellow fliers slack-jawed, "Holy Cow... how in the world did you do that?" Some of the guys we showed the King to at our last launch just said, "Wow!"

This futuristic single-staged denizen of deep space is so cool it's spooky. That doesn't mean it's hard to assemble. It is actually an easy to build kit. For example, the destruction step you may spend the most time on is cutting the tube fins and doing the prep work for painting. The tube cutting destructions are very clear, and, believe it or not (spoiler warning), it's a straight cut, created with a flexible straightedge. Pemberton reveals a cool tube painting trick, too, and you don't even have to do any masking. You'll find yourself flying this model after just a couple days of pleasurable build time.

G Motors are Perfect for this Kit

The G motors listed above are reloads, which cost less per flight than single-use motors. With altitudes of 537 to 1000 feet depending on which G you use, you have great options for altitude, loudness, and color of flame.

After you do your Level 1 Certification with the King Krãken, you can step up to H and I motors. With the extreme-altitude Rocksim prediction on I motors, though, you might want to bring binoculars.

I love this kit! It's big, distinctive, mean-looking, and sleek.

Squidly

Pemberton does something creative with the visual impact of this kit that solves an engineering problem, too. I admire designers who solve multiple problems with a single solution. Layne calls the canards on the nose cone "squidly". They do have a decisively squidish look, and they give the kit that extra detail that defines it as the King Krãken. But lookin' good is not all they do. With nose cones molded in this particular type of plastic, it can be hard to get nose weight to stay up in the tip. Even if it's epoxied, it can come loose during a launch, which can result in a Very Bad Day.

Advanced builders solve this problem by putting dowels or long screws through the area of the nose cone where the weight is going to go, then sanding them off smooth and flush. Here's what is so cool: the canards have tabs that protrude through the wall. While they don't glue onto a tube inside the nose cone, they do physically key in to the nose weight epoxy inside, resulting in an incredibly strong and substantial attachment for the nose weight. Great thinking!

Why is this a Skill Level 3 Rocket?

There are only three steps in the rocket that require more than basic building skills. These are cutting the tube fins, slotting the plastic nose cone for the canards (you'll want a Dremel tool for this), and some extra time sanding and filling. Since you can use some bigger (heavier) motors, you need to test the King Krãken with the heaviest motor you plan to use, and add nose weight until it's stable. You probably won't need to add any nose weight, but check stability to make sure. It does take a little extra care and patience to use the rear bulkhead method of motor retention, too. Otherwise, construction is straightforward.

The King Krãken is a bigger rocket that uses heavy wall tubes. It also has substantial interior lead and epoxy nose weigh to provide added stability. While the tubes and weight don't make the rocket any harder to assemble, extra safety precautions are required when a rocket this big is flown. Patience and acquired flying skills to know when and where NOT to fly are just as important as quality construction techniques.

King Krãken Kit Features

Super Strong Plastic Nose Cone - Made from polyethylene plastic, this heavy-wall nose cone can really stand up to any amount of abuse you might give it. The 11.5 inch exposed length is just one feature. It has a molded-in shock cord attachment, and a 1/4 inch steel eyebolt can be added (recommended). You'll need a Dremel tool to cut the canard slots in this baby.

Premium Body Tubes - These body tubes are quality pieces, with small spirals so they finish quickly. They're thick walled for those high power flights. One is used for the main body, another for the 4 tube fins.

Plywood Centering Rings - These 1/8" thick 5-ply centering rings are a thing of beauty. They provide plenty of heft for G, H, and I motors and they fit perfectly, so they don't need sanding. The motor tube is 38mm, so you are set up to fly high from the get-go. There is no retention provided, so you need to add AeroPak retainers or use another method.

Quality Recovery Hardware - You get a monstrous 10' shock cord of 9/16" tubular nylon. The mounting system on the motor mount end is an innovative, inexpensive, yet strong design that works great.

A Great Parachute - 30-inch diameter rip-stop nylon cloth parachute. A kit this big, you have to have a cloth chute for the extra durability; and you get one! You could almost jump out of a perfectly good airplane with this chute.

Note: These motors (HAZ) are shipped with a HAZMAT fee of $28 on top of the standard UPS/FedEx ground shipping costs. (Learn More about HAZMAT Fees). These motors are non-returnable due to shipping regulations.

If you are purchasing an age- or certification-restricted motor, please email or fax us a copy of your ID, or NAR or TRA membership card as soon as possible so we can get your order shipped promptly. We will keep not of your status on file, so you only have to do this once. If you are not certified, please see our information page for additional details on membership and high power certification.

YOU MUST BE AT LEAST 18 YEARS OLD TO PURCHASE RELOAD KITS.

18+ - You must be at least 18yrs of age to purchase ths motor.

L1 - This motor is classified as "High Power" and requires a Level 1 certification via the NAR or TRA, or a scheduled attempt, to purchase.

Rocket motors are sold separately from the kit. For more help in selecting rocket motors, see our video tutorial. If you're unsure, start with the "First Flight" recommendation or the one with the lowest altitude, then go up from there.

For other motors that are not tested or not listed here, download the King Kraken RockSim file and load it to see if it will work in this rocket kit. See also Technical Publication #28 for guidance on selecting appropriate rocket engines other than those listed in this chart.

If you are purchasing an age- or certification-restricted motor, please email or fax us a copy of your ID, or NAR or TRA membership card as soon as possible so we can get your order shipped promptly. We will keep not of your status on file, so you only have to do this once. If you are not certified, please see our information page for additional details on membership and high power certification.

YOU MUST BE AT LEAST 18 YEARS OLD TO PURCHASE RELOAD KITS.

18+ - You must be at least 18yrs of age to purchase ths motor.

L1* - This motor is classified as "High Power" and due to the propellant type or propellant amount, requires a Level 1 certification via the NAR or TRA to purchase. This motor cannot be used for an L1 attempt.

Rocket motors are sold separately from the kit. For more help in selecting rocket motors, see our video tutorial. If you're unsure, start with the "First Flight" recommendation or the one with the lowest altitude, then go up from there.

For other motors that are not tested or not listed here, download the King Kraken RockSim file and load it to see if it will work in this rocket kit. See also Technical Publication #28 for guidance on selecting appropriate rocket engines other than those listed in this chart.

The RockSim software gives you a lot of information about the flight characteristics of this rocket: how high, how fast, where it will land, how will it react to wind, etc. The "design file" is intended to save you time. All the parameters (size, shape, weight, fin design, etc.) of this rocket have already been entered into the RockSim program, and saved as an electronic database file. You can just open it up in your copy of RockSim and start loading different rocket motors to run launch simulations. It's fun and educational to see the rocket zoom skyward, even before you built it. For more information about RockSim and to download a FREE 30-day demo version, click here.

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